Statement of the Government of the People's Republic of China

THE recent development of the Middle East situation has aroused the close attention and concern of the Chinese people and the people of the whole world. On September 17, 1970, U.S. imperialism instigated the reactionary military government of the Kingdom of Jordan flagrantly to dispatch large numbers of troops to launch frenzied attacks unprecedented in scale against the Palestinian guerrillas in a wild attempt to wipe out the revolutionary armed forces of the Palestinian people at one stroke. In these circumstances, the Palestinian guerrillas rose valiantly to fight back in self-defence. At present, the Palestinian guerrillas are heroically fighting a bloody battle. The Palestinian, the Jordanian and other Arab peoples, filled with hatred for their common enemy, are carrying out struggles against this counter-revolutionary atrocity committed by the reactionary Jordanian military government under the instigation of U.S. imperialism. A new revolutionary storm against U.S. imperialism is rising in the Middle East. This reactionary atrocity on the part of the reactionary Jordanian military government was wholly engineered and planned beforehand by U.S. imperialism. Developing and growing in. strength, the Palestinian guerrillas have increasingly become a serious obstacle to U.S. imperialist aggression in and control of the Middle East. With bitter hatred for and mortal fear of the Palestinian guerrillas, U.S. imperialism has long been racking its brains in wildly scheming to stamp out the raging flames of the revolutionary armed struggle of the Palestinian people. The recent incident is another and still graver military attack launched by the reactionary Arab forces following the defeats in their continuous armed repression of the Palestinian guerrillas under the instigation of U.S. imperialism in October last year and February and June this year. Deep in the night of September 15, Nixon personally convened a meeting in the White House "to consider the Jordanian crisis." On September 16, the pro-U.S. military clique in Jordan set up a reactionary military government. On September 17, this reactionary military government ordered posthaste the launching of an all-out attack against the Palestinian guerrillas. On September 18, the U.S. Department of Defence openly declared that it was reinforcing its Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea and its air force stationed in Turkey. On the same day, the U.S. White House declared that "contingency plans" had been drawn up, and thus put forth a military threat. Meanwhile, the U.S. imperialist tool for aggression Israel, on its part, amassed troops on the west bank of the Jordan River, seeking an opportunity for rampant actions. The facts are crystal clear: This is a grave provocation of U.S. imperialism against the Palestinian people as well as another monstrous crime committed by it against the Arab peoples. The Chinese Government and people strongly condemn U.S. imperialism and its collaborator and lackeys for their recently concocted plot of a fresh military aggression in the Middle East, and strongly condemn U.S. imperialism for instigating the reactionary Jordanian military authorities to launch military attacks against the Palestinian people's armed forces. The Chinese Government and people firmly support the Palestinian people's armed forces in fighting back in self-defence and firmly support the Palestinian and other Arab peoples in their just struggle against U.S. imperialism and its lackey Israeli Zionism. Should U.S. imperialism dare to launch a new military adventure in the Middle East, it will inevitably end up in ever more tightening the nooses around its neck, thereby hastening its own destruction. The Palestinian people's revolutionary struggle is "a just cause enjoying abundant support." We believe that so long as the Palestinian and other Arab peoples persist in unity, persevere in armed struggle, fear no threat and refuse to be deceived, they will certainly frustrate all military attacks and political schemes of U.S. imperialism. The Palestinian and other Arab peoples are sure to win! U.S. imperialism and its collaborator and lackeys are bound to be defeated!